Continuing my theme this week–here is another snippet from something else I’m currently working on, a study guide for William Carlos Williams’ In the American Grain. This one might be more interesting for those of you who are educators or who do textbook writing. Have you noticed that textbooks today are required to break down literary concepts and strategies for kids? This isn’t for a textbook, but it’s no doubt influenced by the textbook writing that I do.
Introduction
In the second half of this chapter, Gregory goes on to discuss the idea of sincerity, and what makes Williams’ work sincere. This lesson will discuss the concept of Sincerity.
1) Class Discussion: Introduce the concept of Sincerity. Ask students what they consider sincerity to be. What do we mean when we sign a letter, “Sincerely yours”? Is there a difference between sincerity and honesty, or are they the same thing? Is it a good thing to be sincere? Why or why not? How can you tell if someone is being sincere? In what circumstances is it most important to be sincere? Why might sincerity be important for a writer? Is it possible to judge whether or not a writer is being sincere? Can sincerity be measured objectively, or is it always subjective? Why?
2) Group or Partner Discussion: Gregory comments that the question of sincerity never comes up while discussing classical literature. “It seems absurd,” he says, “to question the sincerity of Homer, of Sophocles, or of Aeschylus…” When we evaluate writing of our own time, though, Gregory says that the question of sincerity does come up, and that if a writer is not sincere, we question his or her integrity. Why do we not question the sincerity of classical authors? Why do we not doubt the integrity of classical authors? Did they write for different reasons than a modern writer like William Carlos Williams?
3) Sincerity Rubric: Ask students what element of literature sincerity falls into. It is not a character, nor is it a part of plot. Except in rare essays such as Gregory’s, it is not a theme. Usually, sincerity is part of the tone of a work of literature. Have students remain in their small groups or partnerships, and come up with a set of criteria for judging a work’s sincerity. Have students make their own rubrics for judging sincerity. Then have students use their rubrics to evaluate Gregory’s Introduction and judge whether or not he is being sincere.
4) Public Speaking: Have students present their evaluation of Gregory’s Introduction to the class. Have each group explain how they could tell whether Gregory was being sincere. Encourage students to include quotations from the Introduction to support their opinions.
5) Homework: What makes a work of literature sincere? How can you tell if a writer is being sincere? Write an essay in which you take a position on this question, and defend your views. As you write, you may wish to refer to the rubric you made in class.
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